Start Campus, which was a defendant in the Influencer case, said this Monday that there are “misconceptions” about the environmental impact of the Sines data center that threaten the “continuity of a key project,” according to the filing.
In the note, the company, now headed by Robert Dunn, following the resignation of Afonso Salema and Rui Oliveira Neves, also defendants, said it “reaffirms its environmental commitments and ensures that protected species are not at risk.”
The company has “misconceptions about the environmental impact of the Start Campus data center” that jeopardize the “continuity of a key project.”
“The construction of the Sines 4.0 project, a “hyperscaler” data center developed by Start Campus, which will contribute to the powerful development of the local and national economy, sets new standards for environmental responsibility and the creation of green ecosystems,” they assured.
“Located in the industrial zone of Sines, on the site of a decommissioned airfield, between a railway line and a coal-fired power plant, construction work on the first building of the €3.5 billion project is close to completion and will be equipped with electricity. through renewable energy sources and will create almost 10 thousand new jobs,” he also assured.
The company stressed that this first building, known as “NEST”, is “entirely located outside the Natura Network, which protects the habitats of flora and fauna”, adding that “this phase of construction is not subject to an environmental impact assessment (EIA) with parties to the Portuguese Environmental Protection Agency (APA)”, but this agency added “a condition to the project requiring Start Campus to protect the Erica cirialis and Erica erigena plants around the site.”
Start Campus said it met this requirement “in close collaboration with local habitat experts on plant protection issues.” In the same note, the company stated that “construction of the NEST is almost complete – expected to be fully operational in March 2024,” emphasizing that other than this building, “no other construction has taken place” and that “subsequent planned phases are in within the Natura Network and are at the design and licensing stage.”
“Start Campus is working closely with the relevant authorities to ensure that it meets all requirements to respect the Natura network before commencing any work,” he stressed.
“We understand the concerns surrounding the construction of our first building; we are committed to proving that Start Campus always does the right thing,” said Robert Dunn, the company’s executive chairman (CEO), in a statement. .
As part of this process, the Office of the Public Prosecutor (MP) detained five people: the then chief of staff of the Prime Minister Vitor Escaria, the mayor of Sines Nuno Mascarenhas, two administrators of the Start campus Afonso Salema and Rui Oliveira Neves, as well as a lawyer. Diogo Lacerda Machado, a friend of António Costa, who was released after the judicial interrogation.
In total, there are nine defendants in the investigation into the lithium, green hydrogen and Sines data centers, including former infrastructure minister João Galamba, president of the Portuguese Environmental Protection Agency (APA), Nuno Lacasta, lawyer and former PS representative João Tiago Silveira and Start Campus.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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